Style Imitating Art: “Interrupted Reading”

Style Imitating Art comes from Salazar, Terri, and Shelbee. You can think of it as fashion meets art museum! Style Imitating Art challenges people to find inspiration in different art works, create looks based upon that art work, and share them with the curator for that piece. Every other Monday one of the three selects an inspiration piece of art and posts the image on their blog. They then invite others to interpret that art work through their style. The following Monday, they share their outfits. The curator shares submissions the following Wednesday on her blog. Terri chose this week’s art work for her final round of Style Imitating Art. If you’d like, you can read why she chose it here. Style Imitating Art is an interesting way to inspire your outfits. I know it does that for me! You can see a few of my looks here, here, here, and here.

Inspiration art work…

About the artist…

Born in Paris on July 16, 1796, Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot led a life very different to most painters, it would seem. His parents owned a successful millinery shop as well as making sound financial investments. Their shop was a popular stop for fashionable Parisian ladies. For the first half of his life, Camille Corot’s parents basically supported him and his artistic endeavors. So, you would never have found any of his work at a “starving artist’s” fair! Camille Corot attended the Lycée Pierre-Corneille but left as he wasn’t a strong scholar.

A little more…

After leaving the lycée, Camille Corot went to a boarding school where he didn’t excel at much of anything, including art. Somewhere around 1815, he began painting from nature. When his parents moved to a different home in 1817, Camille Corot went along and lived in the third story where he also painted. His father then arranged an apprenticeship to a draper. Camille Corot tried hard to please his father, working at this kind of business until he was 26. At that point, his parents agreed to him becoming an artist. In 1822, his sister passed, and his yearly allowance was increased to 1500 francs. With this money, Camille Corot bought supplies, rented a studio, and traveled.

Still more…

Camille Corot painted landscapes in the Neo-Classical style. These would have been idealized versions of the landscape and may have included people represented as being in ancient, mythological, or Biblical places. Camille Corot, however, also painted realistic landscapes as shown by his very precise drawings of rocks, tree trunks, and plants. Like other painters, he traveled to Italy to study. He was there from 1825-1828 and produced over 200 drawings and 150 paintings! While in Italy, Camille Corot discovered perspective, light, and how to incorporate manmade buildings into the natural background. He would return to Italy two more times.

A skosh more…

Camille Corot continued to paint in his unique style, blending Neo-Classicism with Realism for several years. He shied away from the bold colors of the Impressionists. When he painted portraits, he would often paint a copy. He often did this with his other paintings, too. Camille Corot seemed like a really nice guy. He treated his models well; they often referred to him as Papa. He never married and stayed close to his mother. Camille Corot donated money to the poor of Paris, donated 10,000 francs to Jean-Francois Millet’s widow, and supported a day care center in rue Vandrezanne in Paris. He died in Paris in 1875 from a stomach disorder. You can read more here and here.

About the art work…

The art work is oil on canvas mounted on board. It measures 36 5/16in x 25 5/8in (92.5cm x 65.1cm). Painted somewhere around 1870, “Interrupted Reading” is one of Camille Corot’s studies of the human form. Most of his exhibitions involved landscapes. The model in this study was Agostina Segatori, an Italian woman who owned and ran the Café du Tambourin. She modeled for Édouard Joseph Dantan, Camille Corot, Jean-Léon Gérôme, Eugène Delacroix, Vincent van Gogh, and Édouard Manet. For a time, she and van Gogh were lovers. While many of the articles I’ve read about this painting suggest the model’s gaze is fierce (which would be in line with Ms. Segatori’s reputation), I think she’s more pensive as she gazes into the eyes of the painter. I wonder if she was actually reading that book, and Camille Corot did interrupt her. Or, was she just doing her job?

“Whereas Corot’s subject matter is traditional, his technique is not. With direct and bold brushwork, he explored the human form as a construction of masses that support and balance one another. This broad handling is complemented by the artist’s obvious delight in detail—the ribbon in the model’s hair, the delicate earrings, the deep folds in the skirt. Here he combined a profound sense of formal structure with the dreamy softness and intimacy that characterize his most famous landscapes (source).”

My interpretation…

I thought this Floribunda Short Dress from April Cornell was perfect for the challenge. Does it have the colors in the painting? Not really. But, it’s done in very soft colors that reminded me of those used in the painting. I think the ruffles at the neck of my dress somewhat mimic the lines of the subject’s bodice. The pinks and browns in my outfit can be found in both the subject and the background. The deep folds of her skirt are also echoed in the tiers of this dress. While it’s not an exact imitation, I think I captured the essence of the painting. But, let’s talk for a moment about this dress. It’s a very easy dress to wear with the tiers and a-line structure. There’s a single button closure at the back. Remember, in my last post, I talked about the button-on ties. Today, I tied them in the front for some added details. Two other things I should mention…it has pockets, and it’s on sale! In fact, there are lots of things on sale! Use my code, MARSHA15, for additional savings! If you call the retail stores, I’m not sure if they will honor the code or not. But, you can try!

About the photos…

Nigel and I went to the Festival of Trees at the Indiana Historical Society. We took lots of photos there. When I looked at them, I discovered lighting was off, and very few of them were useful. I’ve included a few that worked or are meaningful.

The Lewk!

Yes, it’s the return of my Born boots in brown! I have been watching “Secrets of the Six Wives” on PBS. Lucy Worsley wears black tights and black shoes (boots?) with her dresses so I thought I would channel her with my brown tights and brown boots. I kind of like that they don’t match. The necklace is from J Jill and is a bit of a muted pop of color against the dress. The earrings are gold (like the subject in the painting) and may be from Stella & Dot.

Wrap it up, Marsha!

I really do enjoy these Style Imitating Art challenges for a couple of reasons. They make me look at my clothes and create looks with different combinations of items even though I didn’t do that here. The other reason is I have learned about so many artists I’d never heard of prior to the challenge. So, can we talk? Do you prefer landscapes to portraits? What do you think of Camille Corot’s parents supporting his dream for so many years? Have you visited any holiday exhibits? Please leave me a comment or two, and we can talk. I promise to respond as soon as possible.

Thank you!

I want to thank all of you from the bottom of my heart for reading, commenting, subscribing or emailing! It truly means so much to me! If you’d like to follow me on Instagram, you can find me here.

Affiliate links and such:

Just a reminder that Marsha in the Middle may use an affiliate link. Those links are usually italicized. If you click or make a purchase from an italicized link I provide, I may receive a small commission at no cost to you. Thank you for your support. I am an April Cornell Brand Ambassador for another season. You can use my code, MARSHA15, for $15 off any order over $100. Use Marsha12 for 12% off any order of $65 or more at Buykud. I also have an affiliate code for Kantha Bae! Use MarshaintheMiddle in the promo code box for $5 off any order (excluding Bestie restocks)! I have also become a Halftee Partner. Use the code, MARSHA2098, for 20% off any purchase. I am also an affiliate with Clara Sunwoo. You can use my code, MARSHA10, for 10% off your entire order. For the Zuvi Halo Hair Dryer, use Marsha12 to get 12% off your order at this link: https://www.zuvilife.com/products/buy-zuvi-halo-hair-dryer?sca_ref=4039595.v4RNNsWxxF. If items are on sale, you can use Marsha5 for an extra 5% off sale prices. In case you didn’t know, bloggers must disclose the use of affiliate links. That’s why I include this in each post.

Where you can find me:

Linking up with Nancy’s Fashion Style,  Fine-Whatever, Is This Mutton, Shelbee on the Edge, Chez Mireile, The Grey Brunette, and Away from the Blue as well as Deb’s World. I also link up with This Blonde’s Shopping Bag, Doused in Pink, I do deClaire, Mummabstylish, and Style Splash. Please check out these wonderful ladies and their blogs! I also am a co-host for Ageless Style on the third Thursday of the month and Songful Style on the last Monday of the month. I co-host Traffic Jam Weekend every Thursday with Melynda and Lisa. I also host Final Fridays on the last Friday of the month as well as 10 on the 10th on the 10th of the month! I do hope you’ll check out all of these blogs and link parties!

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